Caliwater Cactus Water Redesign

Agency: The Creative Pack
Client: Caliwater Cactus Water
Creative Director: Danielle Kidney
Designer: Heather Varano
Region: USA
Scope: Brand Strategy, Identity, Packaging, Copywriting

The Brief
Caliwater Cactus Water is the first ready-to-drink enhanced water powered by the Cactus-grown super fruit, Prickly Pear. The unique beverage originally hit shelves in 2012. In January 2015, Caliwater re-launched their Cactus Water beverage in a sleek Tetra Prisma Aseptic Package with a refreshing new identity and design. The Creative Pack worked closely with Caliwater to re-brand this innovative beverage.
Caliwater is a Los Angeles based company, so it was important to create a brand that resonates with the forward-thinking culture of Southern California. The new brand story had 3 requirements; to emphasize the product’s local origin, to introduce the Opuntia Cactus and Prickly Pear fruit to consumers, and to inform consumers of the ancient health benefits the beverage provides.

The Process
It began with a simple phrase – ‘Desert Discovered’. This phrase was the beginning of a compelling story. It quickly became the focus of the Caliwater Cactus Water brand story. This phrase also inspired the primal, hand-carved illustrations and symbols used to create a trail map of discovery around the packaging.
Capturing the right tone of voice was crucial. Caliwater’s brand audience is spiritual, active, and very busy, so the copy had to connect with their ‘bohemian fitness’ lifestyle. To start, all pack messaging was reviewed. The final copy was then streamlined into an inspiring, ancient tale of thirsty souls and Opuntia Cactus legend, along with 3 simple side-of-pack callouts -‘Replenish, Revive, Connect’. This allowed the front-of-pack design to stay uncluttered and iconic.

The Outcome
The new look for Caliwater Cactus Water has already received a positive response from consumers and retailers since the 2015 re-launch. The updated brand identity and design aesthetic is impactful, yet approachable.
Transitioning from a plastic bottle to a tetra pak format allowed the brand to re-launch a fresher, more flavorful beverage reformulated to a ‘not from concentrate’ recipe and become NON-GMO certified. The format is also more suitable for the on-the-go lifestyle of Southern California consumers – now it’s able to compete with it’s coconut and aloe drink counterparts.

Currently the product is sold locally in Southern California, in Lassens stores, Amazon.com, Locali, Om Nom Organics, and Gelson’s Market. Watch for it on shelf at retailers throughout 2015.